Quidditch Bans Aren't So Bad After All
by gooseberrie
Summary: There are upsides to everything. And that includes Quidditch bans. George/Katie.


Happy Birthday Bridget (Blonde Pickle Mule)! Hope you like it! Written for the Birthday Presents thread on Hogwarts Online. Just a bit of George/Katie fluff. :)

Disclaimer: '. That's it.

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'How could you _do _this to me, to the team? Did you even stop to think about the consequences?' Angelina screamed across the common room.

'The stupid twat was insulting my family, and Harry's! What would you have done?' George bellowed back.

'Angelina, calm down!'

I felt the need to interrupt their shouting match, seeing as it was 11 o'clock at night and I was desperately trying to finish a Potions essay for the next day.

'Katie, I thought _you'd _understand, at least. You are on the Quidditch team after all!'

'Look, I'm gutted that they got banned, but there's not much we can do now. Umbridge-'

'That complete _toad_!' interjected George.

'-was very unfair, but yelling at each other about it isn't going to help!' I finished.

'_Fine! _I'm going to bed!' shouted Angelina.

'You said that about an hour ago, then you came back down to yell at me for having the _audacity _to stay up.' pointed out George.

However, Angelina had already stormed up the staircase to the girls' dorms. George dropped onto the couch next to me, running a hand through his hair dejectedly.

'Don't worry about Angelina,' I said – I felt bad for George. He'd just received a lifetime ban from Umbridge, and then the minute he got back to the Tower he'd been chewed out by Angelina. 'She'll calm down eventually.'

'That's not what I'm worried about.' he replied, a few seconds later.

'What's up, then?' I asked curiously.

'Well, now that we can't play Quidditch, there's not much point staying here.' he explained, 'Fred'll want to leave as soon as possible.'

'How on earth are you going to do that?'

'It doesn't matter; that's not what's getting me down.'

'So what is it?'

He considered me for a few seconds.

'Promise you won't laugh?' he asked earnestly. I stared at him – George Weasley, master prankster, was _embarrassed_?

'OK...' I agreed uncertainly.

'Well you see, there's this – this girl that I really like. And if we leave soon, I won't get the chance to ask her out.'

I stared at him. If George liked a girl, he normally just went and asked her out straight away. Why was he acting so shy all of a sudden? And why on _earth _was he telling me?

'Why don't you just tell her?' I asked confusedly.

'She's different from other girls; I'm – well I'm scared that she won't want to be friends anymore if I mess things up by asking her out.' he said in a rush.

'She's your friend?' I asked. A weird feeling seemed to have bubbled up in chest, which I realised was hope; I'd had a crush on George since 5th year, but he'd never be interested in me, would he?

'Who is it?'

'I...' he looked up at me finally, and I noticed how very blue his eyes were for the first time. A blush crept up my cheeks. _Why now, of all times? _

George swallowed, and then he seemed to grow more confident.

'I'm sitting right next to her.'

_What? .God! _My brain seemed to have been frozen, I was unable of coherent speech.

'Wait...w-what?' I spluttered.

'I really like you, Katie.' He wouldn't stop looking at me now.

_Oh Merlin, please stop staring at me! _I had absolutely no idea what to say. George Weasley, _the _George Weasley actually liked me?

_Say something, say something, or he'll think you don't like him! _

'I – I like you too.' I managed.

'Really?' he asked. I looked at him now, and his baby-blue eyes searched mine, and I suddenly realised how close we were. Our noses were almost touching now.

'Really.' My answer came out as a whisper.

When George Weasley kissed me, I got the fireworks behind my eyes that you're supposed to get when you meet the love of your life, the fireworks that I hadn't had with any other boy.

'Katie?' he asked when we broke apart.

'Yeah?'

'Umbridge will probably give you a Quidditch ban too now; associating with criminals and all that.'

I grinned. 'Angelina is going to _flip._'

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